Your Garden Hedgehogs

[Willpar]

Just went out with garden cam. Almost tripped over a hedgehog on the garden path. That one dashed into the lodge. Looked in feeder up in garden, a hedgehog in there no mark so duluxed that one. Looked into the lodge and the one that ran in there had his bum sticking out so duluxed that one as well. But there is another one in there at the back. Not a large one, probably a juvenile from last year. Three hedgehogs at once, cant be bad.

Make that 4, just seen a marked one in the garden.

Managed to mark the other one, that is 3 duluxed tonight.

[Placido]

New tin of Dulux on the shopping list then !!
Good haul, Willpar, word's got around already.

[JooMoo]

I spotted 2 fighting on the camera. So I went out with my tippex. I couldn't see any marks on them, but the tippex will wear off.
A bit later I saw another 2, so had a look through the window. One was freshly tippexed, the other had an old mark. So assuming last weekend's tippex hasn't quite worn off, I'm up to 5.

I need to get myself some dulux for longer lasting marking. Willpar, do you do gloss or matt

[Willpar]

Hi Joomoo, well done, I am using luxurious silk, natural calico. Water base. Good stuff. Will last all season.

[nuthatch]

Plenty of hogs turning up, Willpar and JooMoo

I'm wondering now whether come the morning new hog will be looking around for a hedgehog house or feeding station or even her cardboard box - will maybe find something in someone else's garden

[Willpar]

Just Had a look in the lodges along garden path. The first one under the wall has a juvenile in there. Not much bedding so put some hay in. The other lodge down the end may have two. As one is quite near the entrance, but sometimes they do that to stop another getting in. That's what I like to see the garden and facilities being well used.
Nuthatch don't you have a hedgehog lodge in your garden.

[JooMoo]

I'm not sure if any of my 3 houses are being used. I think the dead hog was using one of them as after he'd gone I put some leaves in front of the entrance and they remained unmoved.
The first year I set up my next door houses and had 2 new hogs from the rescue, I put lots of hay in them and then left a big flower pot outside with more hay in, covered by some roofing felt. It was not in anywhere special, just outside the hog houses. A hog set up home in there for a few days. So you don't need anywhere fancy, just somewhere safe for the first few nights until the hog has a good look round and chooses his own home.

[Placido]

At 4.30 this morning realised I hadn't put out the blue bag of paper/card for recycling so I did and was rewarded by the sight of a medium but chunky hedgie trundling across the front lawn . I stopped and watched as it was heading straight in my direction. At 4ft it stopped, didn't ball up just stopped.
I'd wondered how close it would be before it became aware of me.
S'pose it got a whiff of the bear fat and spikenard .

[nuthatch]

Got under the paper on the way home - we could hear something going on.

She's about 800gms now and has been going out for three weeks.

Looked at a Hogilo at the garden centre - was the most substantial one there - didn't like the look of it somehow and it was grossly overpriced.

[nuthatch]

Just Had a look in the lodges along garden path. The first one under the wall has a juvenile in there. Not much bedding so put some hay in. The other lodge down the end may have two. As one is quite near the entrance, but sometimes they do that to stop another getting in. That's what I like to see the garden and facilities being well used.
Nuthatch don't you have a hedgehog lodge in your garden.

No, I didn't, Willpar - it's not something I was terribly interested in but I was also aware there'd be objections to one like everything else I've introduced into (wrecked) the garden (with)

So a few days ago someone was studying a couple of places in the garden - I kept forgetting to ask about this and found out on the way home with the hedgehog that they were considering putting a hedgehog house there

Of course bit late in the day - I could have probably ordered something online and had it in place ....

Anyway, went back this morning and got the Hogilo like this:

http://www.recycleworks.co.uk/wildlife- ... 17270.html

Ours was £69.99 but I have seen them £20 - almost £35 cheaper than that.

Last night I made a shelter with a cardboard box (entrance cut in), newspaper, the hay the hedgie travelled with and placed it in a now unused recycling bag - the cube shaped ones with handles - so the box was covered on five sides. I placed it on a large roof tile and the cat biscuits and water bowl on another in front of it in the back garden.

I did put the hedgehog in this shelter just before it got really dark - the time JooMoo suggested tipping the box it travelled in on its side

This morning I could see that the hedgie had eaten some cat biscuits, left calling cards and also probably been up into the bird garden and had a good go at the peanuts there but didn't return to my shelter

Marked the hedgie with emulsion